Lasting machine



L. G. MILLER LASTING MACHINE June 29, y1948.

Filed March 2:5. 194e 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 P 0 1T. n e w June 29, 1948 L. G. MILLER 2,444,141

LASTING MACHINE l Filed March 23, 194e 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 June29,1948. GMILLER 2,444,141 'LASTING NmcHmEv Filed March 23,v 194e 4s sheets-sheet s In Uenor Lloyd G. Miller' Patented June 29, 1948 ,unirse STAT-Es PATENT oFl-Icaj Shoe Machinery Corporation,

Flemington,

N L I., a corporation of New Jersey Application March 23, 1946, Serial No. 656,676

17 Claims.

Yllhis invention relates to lasting machines, and isA herein shown as applied to a power-operated toenlasting machine which, except as hereinafter noted,=1nay be assumed to be constructed generally asdisclosed inlUnited `States Letters Patent No; 2,160,846, granted on June 6, 1939V on an applicationof F. C.i Eastmans and A. F. Pymls. It is to be understood', however, that theinvention is not thus limited in its applicability..

The machine shown in the above-mentioned'I Letters Patent includesin its organization wipers movable heightwise of a last toperform what is commonly known as an upwiping operation on the toe end, of, an upper onl the last and movable thereafter' to` wipe` the marginal portion of the y,

upperinwardly over aninsole onthe last; and also-grippers which applya pull-to the toe end of the upper and control it in the course of the toelasting operation. The present invention provides, instead of such grippers,` novel. means including a device having the function'of what is commonly known as a retarder for clamping the marginal portion of the Lipper on the wipers to cooperate with them in pulling and controlling the upper. In` accordance witha feature of the invention, the retarder is so positioned initially as to serve by contactwith the last as an endk gage for the shoe when the shoe ispresented to the machine, after which it is moved heightwise of the last by the wipers in the upwiping. operation. In the construction shownlthe retarder thus not only positions the shoe lengthwise but. also positions its extreme toe endflater'ally. In this and other aspects the invention has more particularly inview the adaptation ofthe machine for the lastingoi shoes of that type in which the insole h'as a substantially plane bottom face over which the toe end ofthe upper is lasted, without any upstanding lip as in welt shoe work by engagement with whiehthe shoe 'may be positioned lengthwise and laterally' `in the manner disclosed in the above=-mentionedLetters Patent. As more particularly herein illustrated, the retarderis mounted on a support which is swung heightwise of the last inthe upwiping operation about an axis located-oppositeth'e bottom ofthe iorepart'of the shoe by the action of the wipers on the retarder, and after the upwiping operation the support' is swung stillfarth-er about that aXis to withdraw the retarder from the wipers by cam-operated mechanism4 connected thereto.` In combination withthe retarder'the' inventionalso provides a holddown for pressing the marginal portion'of the toeend'of the insole onthe bottom of the last, preferably until just' after the wipers have started their movements to'wipe the upper inwardly over` the insole, the construction shown being such that the holddown is withdrawn from the insole at the proper time by the same mechanism which withdraws the retarder from the wipers as above described, the holddown swinging about the same axis as the retarder support. l i y i The novel features of the inventiom including various novel details of construction andcombinations of parts, vn'll now be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings and thereafter pointed out inthe claims. In the drawings, l i Fig. 1 isA a View in right-hand side elevation of a ,portion of the machine shown inthe previously mentionedLetters Patent as modiedfor purposes of the present invention, fwith parts broken away;` Fig. 2 is a similar View on a larger scale of a portion of the structure shown in Fig; 1; y 1 i Fig. 3 is aview in rear elevation of the structure showninFig. 2, with parts in section; i

Figs. 4, 5, 6 and 'lare views mainly in vertical section lengthwise of the shoe showing the retarder and the holddown and parts associated therewith as they appear at diierent times in` the course of the operation of the machine; i

Fig. 8 is mainly a plan view with parts in se`c` tion on the line VIII- VIII of Fig. 6, theparts being shown in the same positions as inyFig'; 6; and

Fig. 9 is aperspective view showingthetoe-end portion of a shoe as it appears after the operation of the machine thereon. i

For positioning a' shoe of the above-mentioned typev heightwisein the machine there is provided a plate 2' arranged to engage the bottom facemof the fore-part` of' the insole; this plate preferabiy, havingas shown, an `insole-engaging face curved generally in accordance with the'curvature of the" bottomiface of the forepart of the last when that face of the last has sucha curvature. Irrsteadof` being so formed and arranged as to permitthe' marginal `portion of the upper which is lasted inwardly over the insole to lie throughout its width' iugenerally parallelrelation to the bottom ofthe last, the plate as shown is of such asize andshape and .is in sucli'rel-ation to the edge of the insole' thatfa portion ofthe margin of the upper is lasted against it in upstanding relation to the shoe bo'ttom, as illustrated in Fig. '7, soV that this upstanding portion ofthe upper may later bereadly trimmed off, the portion" of the upper between the plate andthe edge of'the insole being preferab'ly secured to the insole by cement applied prior to the lasting. operation. On theupper por-l tion of the plate is a flange 3 which tends to bend the edge of the upper outwardly when the upper is pressed against the plate. The plate is supported on a holder 4 against the lower face of which it is positioned, this holder being formed on the lower end of a vertical rod 6 (Fig. 1) adjustable in directions heightwise of the shoe by a member 8 in the same manner. as a similar rod er 4, this slide having secured thereto a vertically extending plate I6 provided with a pair of L- shaped fingers I8 extending downwardly between the segmental lugs IU into lthe holes l2 in the plate. Formed on the slide I4 is a knob 2a into which extends a screw 22 threaded in the holder 4, and mounted on this screw is a spring 24 which tends to move the slide toward the right with reference to Fig. 4. By means of this spring, therefore, the ends of the lingers I8 are pressed against the plate 2 within the holes I 2 and by such frictional engagement with the plate hold the latter in position'on the lugs Il). When it is desiredto remove the plate 2 and to substitute a plate of diierent shape or size,l all that need be done is to pull on the knob 2l) and thus to move the slide I4 against the resistance of the spring 24 to relieve the pressure of the iingers I8 on the plate.

Shortly after the beginning of a cycle of power operations of the machine the shoe is clamped against the plate 2 by an upwardly movable toe rest 26, and a heel rest (not shown) is moved into engagement with the heel-end face of the shoe to hold it more securely against lengthwise displacement, as disclosed in the previously mentioned Letters Patent. Thereafter the toe-lasting operation takes place, the machine being provided for this purpose with a pair of camoperated wipers v2B which are advanced bodily lengthwise of the shoe and are swung or closed inwardly widthwise of the shoe to embrace the upper closely about its toe-end portion and are swung upwardly about an axis (not shown) extending wi'dthwise of the shoe to wipe the upper heightwise of the last, i. e., to perform the upwiping operation. After the upwiping operation the wipers are further advanced and closed to wipe the marginal portion of the upper inwardly over the insole. The wipers and their operating mechanisms may be assumed to be of substantially the same construction as disclosed in the above-mentioned Letters Patent, except that the cams for advancing and closing the wipers are preferably so formed as to move them farther inwardly over the insole than in operating on shoes of the welt type.

For purposes of this invention the upper-pulling grippers and their operating mechanisms shown in the abovementioned Letters Patent are omitted, and there is provided instead a retarder 36 for clamping the marginal portion of the toe end of the upper outspread on the wipers in the lasting operation. This retarder is curved to extend around the end and along portions of the sides of the toe, and it is secured by two screws 32 (Fig. 3)V to a holder 34. Threaded in the. holder are two screws 36 by which it is suspended,

togeth'er with the retarder 30, on downwardly extending -arms of a pair of L-shaped members 38 with provision for turning movement about the axes of the screws. The members 38 have forwardly extending arms mounted for upward and downward `swinging movements on th'e opposite ends of a rod 40 extending through holes formed in portions of the holder 4 located at opposite Sides of a recess 42 in the holder, The rod thus extends widthwise of the shoe in a location opposite the bottom of the forepart of the shoe. A head (Fig. 1) on one end of the rod 40 and suitable means (not shown) on its other end confine the members 38 on the rod. Extending through these members between their opposite ends is also a rod 44 by which they are p-ivotally connected to the lower ends of a pair of upwardly extending links-46 joined together by a crosspiece 48. The upper ends of the links are pivotally connected by a pin 50 to an arm 52 fast on a rockshaft 54 mounted in bearings in the frame. Another arm 56 (Fig. 1) fast on this rockshaft is connected by a link 58 to one arm of a bellcrank lever 60 rotatable on a shaft 62, th'e other arm of the bell-crank lever having thereon a roll 64 in engagement with the periphery of a cam 66 fast on a cam shaft 68 which, as shown in the previously mentioned Letters Patent, carries th'e cams for operating other portions of the machine. The roll 64 is held normally in engagement with the cam 66 by a 4spring 10 connected to the bellcrank lever 60 and also by a spring 12 connected at one end to an arm 14 fast on the rockshaft 64 and at the other end to a lever 16 whereby the tension of this spring may be adjustably varied. The construction is such that when the parts are in their initial positions the retarder 30 is so `located -as to position the shoe lengthwise by engagement with the end face of the last when it is presented to the machine, as illustrated in Fig. 4, and in view of the curved shape of the retarder it also serves to position th'e extreme toe end of the shoe laterally. After the wipers have been swung upwardly far enough to clamp the upper against the retarder (Fig, 5) they serve by their further upward movements tolift the retarder in vthe course of the upwiping operation against the resistance of the springs 'III and 12, the roll 64 being thereby moved somewhat away from the periphery of the cam 66. It will be understood that in this operation the retarder is pressed on th'e upper by the springs 1D and 12 and that the pressure thus applied to the upper may be varied by varying the tension of the spring 12 by means of the lever 16. After the upwiping operation, and preferably just after the wipers begin their movements to wipe the marginal portion of the upper inwardly over the insole, a rise a on the cam 66 engages the roll 64 and moves the retarder farther upwardly away from the 'wipers to relaese the margin of the upper. In the return of the parts to starting positions after the lasting operation a drop b on the cam 66 arrives in a position opposite th'e roll 64, whereupon the retarder is returned to its initial position by the springs 10 and 12.

To afford better insurance that the margin of the insole will not be deflected upwardly away from the bottom of the last in the upwiping operation the machine is further provided with a holddown 18 arranged to engage the marginal portion of the toe end of the insole in a location between the edge of the insole and the plate 2. This holddown is supported by a block mounted for swinging movements heightwise of 38 the `loloek extending ini-,o tneree'essfl ini the" holder" 4L? The holddown `is monnte' on' A" screwJ 8i" threaded in' :the bleek 'Blf-iisarranged;

to'f'erigag'ef A `reans/vardly-fextending surface ii-on the holder' the holddwn at the proper'y height; relatively' 'to' the' ypleite 2. The block Vis' heilfyieldigly n'fth'e position Vthus determined by means of i a spring' '8 8" extending through an f opening in f the holder` one 'end of the spring `bearing 'against 'the' 'blo'ck and fthe other -end against a bar 90; Extending the 'bar'may beadjustedto vary the "compression Aofthe springen" The-'heid'down 1li-fis withdrawn iethupwjping operation,` after' which further movement of the iinksWBL to' withdraw the' `r'e'- tarder'30 fron'i'the" wipers' serves also to withdraw the neiecievmw Terreni the inseie.

Themanner of op'eratiorxof the machine, in se fares it is'ef interest witnreferenc'e to the' priesentinvention; `Willno'W befb'iiey summarized; The 'operator presents a shoel to the machine with the bottom of the`iorepart'of' the insole in engagementiwith thejpla'te 2, rubber latex or other suitable cement having been applied Vto themargiiioffthe" `t'o'eee'nd portion ofthe insole and, if the toe end `of the upper 'has not been trimmed; to the margins of thev several layers of the upprl materials. If, as is sometimes the practice, 'the' upper has been trimmed so that only its outer' layer will` overlie the insoleto any Vsubstantial extent', 'that layer only will have received thel cement In thus presenting the shoe 'the operator 'positionsthe toe-end face of the llast against' the retarder 3U which,l by 'its engagement with the last, positions'the shoe lengthwise and :also positions its extreme toe endl laterally; the 'toe endf' ofl the upper being outspread below the retarder" andabovethe wipers. As showninFig. 4, the retarder at this time is prevented from swing!- ingwabout the axes of the-screws 36h-y engagementof its holder 34 withthe downwardly extending' portion of the block" B0. The position 'of the ballportion of lthe shoelaterallymay y'be `turv` ther' determined by sight with' ref-erenceto-tlie portion of the plate 2 which is within' view of the operator. When the-shoe isin properposi-- tion thev operator starts the power-*operation df the machine', whereupon' the ltoe rest* Zitl is lmoved upwardly to clamp the shoe against theplate' 2v '(Fi'g. 4) and the heel rest'l '(not shown) is moved into engagement with the heel-end face Aof' the' shoe@ 'The wipers 28 are then advanced and c'lo'se'd' and 'are swung upwardly -to' bring their edges into positions for veffectively wiping' `'the up# per heightwise yof the last; the' upper' fbelng' clamped on the top of the wipers by the :retarder iiD-substantially at' the time Whenth'eir edgesrarriveinrthose positions v(Fig. 5). There'aiter, theffwpers eontin'iethe'iriipward movement-sftp lto position the 'block A'adj ustaibl'yE Withl 6i wipe1 the uppen heightwise `offthe last; they lift the retarder against the lresistance of `the'springs lllfand 12;' theretarder-supporting members 381 swinging lupwardly about thefrod Ml fand! the roll Mibeingmovedfaway 'from the peripheryof'thel cam 66. In the upwiping operation; therefore, the Wipers and theretarder cooperate to apply a'-p1i1l 'to the upper while permitting. its marginal portion to slip inwardly between them;` thefclampl ing pressure vapplied to the upper and therefore the force of the pull thereon'lbeing determined by "the: aiiiiistineifitf `of the teh'sionof the spring 1l2; Si-nce'the retarder may swingrabouttheaxes of the screws 36',V i. e., about yan axis extending widthwise of the shoe, -Wheh'its liolrier'ilty is care` f* further advanced/andi closed to wipe" then-lar*- ginal portion loiftli'e vupper inwardly over the insole:v Shortly lailier thefbeginning yof suchiinward` movements? oi." fthe wipers; when they areposi-y tionen l substantially ias further illust-rated "in Fig;

and "acts" through the mechanism connected 4to the mernbers ito swing these members Lfarther upwardly .about the :rod :4D-land thus to withdraw thef retarderE 30 fi-ornvttief upperI andthe lwipers.' Atthe A:same time the lero'sspiece` f 48 .by its action on ft ef-sorew's swings the block'l' .about the'. r'od' "dil'ft'o 4With-dlr.aw'the `holddovvn '18 from the insole out of the paths of the wipers. As fthe wipe ers'eontinue'ftl-ieir inward movements they wipe the upperfinwardly "overthe cementeccated mar'- gn of the'in'soie and press ar portionfof its :margin in upstanding position:` against the lplate 2. Whilethe Wipers areholdingthe upper in overwiped l` position the `maehir'ie preferably lcernes to astop' `aiwthesame tiniein thecyole as th'estp whie 'e' provided" by 2the `disclosure of Letters Patent No. 21601-846150 enable' the operator, in aeeordance'withlthat disolosuregto apply abindier wiiteahotit the tee of` thewelt `shoe therein shown. If desired; the' operator'may `similarlir applyFa-biid'fr' Wire -w at this'itime to hold the upperf'until thecementfha's `more if-rmly set, ifa-stening the Wire to iata'ck tllatl'onefside off the shoe bottom 'an-dipullingiit inwardly under the wipers diir'in'g the'pause liti the :cycle oi'the machine;l He thenif starts` the maenine again, whereupon the` wipers' are partiaiiy' retracted I 'to permit the wire" ite be pnlle'df @farther inward* and are" then operated to force? the Vwire moreY nrmlyragainst the'inafginffo' theiupper? supported by the' plate 2,5 yas shown infFig. "7, the machine `coming once more lt'o' aifstop'-topemiit' the operatorlto -fa'sten the wire to another tack at the other side ofthe sho'e bottonifin*accordance with the further disclosure' fof-i `'tI-lie above-mentioned Letters' Patenti Thereafter" themaohine isstart'ed a third time, whereupon the' parts are returnedlto starting positionsandthe shoe is released. Alit `will be uhd'ersteod'th'ateventuallythe' binder wire is remove-@and -tlie '-iipstandi-ngi-margin ofthe upper if; trinirneidoi byafhaindknifeor any othersuitatie-means l 1 'Havingdeser-ibed' the invention, lwhatrv I claiml as lnew and vdesire to secu-re by Lletters Patent4 of tneminited States-lis: l

1. In a lasting machine, the combination with wipers movable heightwise of a last to perform 'an upwiping operation on the toe end of an upper on the last, of a retarder for clamping the marginal portion of the upperl outspread on the wipers, said retarder being arranged to engage the toe end of the last exteriorly of the last bottom to position the shoe when it is presented to the machine and being supported' for movement heightwise of the last by the wipers in the unwiping operation.

2. In a lasting machine, the combination with Wipers movable heightwise of alast to perform f lengthwise when it is'presented to the machine and being supported for movement heightwise of the .last in response to pressure of the .upper thereon in the upwiping operation, and spring means arranged to press the retarder on the upper and yieldable to permit such movement of the retarder heighwise of the last.

3. In a lasting machine, the combination with Wipers movable hightwise of a last to perform an upwiping operation on the toe end of an upper on the last, of a retarder for clamping the marginal portion of the upperoutspread on the wipers, said retarder being curved to extend about the toe end of the last and being arranged toengage the last to position its toe end lengthwise and laterally when the shoe is presented to the machine, and spring means against the resistance of which the retarder is movable heightwise of the last by the wipers in the upwiping operation. l i.

4. In a lasting machine, the combination with wipers movable heightwise of 'a last to perform an -upwiping operation on the toe end of an upper 'on the last, of a retarder forclamping the marginal portion of the upper outspread on 4the wipers, and means for maintaining said retarder initially in position to serve as an abutment opposite the toe-end face of thelast for positioning the shoe lengthwise when it is -presented to the machine, the retarder being movable from that position heightwise of the last with. the wipers in the upwiping operation. Y

5. In a lasting machine, the combination with wipers movable heightwise of a` last to perform an upwiping operation on the toe end of an upper on the last, of a retarder for clamping` the marginal portion ofthe upper outspread on the wipers, said retarder being arranged to engage the toe end of the last exteriorly of the last bottom to position the shoe when it is presented to the machine, and a support for the retarder mounted for swinging movement heightwise of the last in the upwiping operation about an axis positioned opposite the bottom of the forepart of the last.

6. In a lasting machine, the combination with wipers movable heightwise of a last to perform an upwiping operation on the toe end of an upper on the last, of means arranged to be positioned opposite the bottom of the last for positioning the shoe heightwise relatively to the wipers, a retarder for clamping the marginal portion of the upperoutspread on the wipers, said retarder being arranged to engage the toe-end face of the last to position the shoe lengthwise when it is presented to the machine, and a support for said retarder mountedv on' said rstnamed positioning means for swinging movement heightwise ofV the last about an axisextending widtliwise4 of the last in response to pressure of the upper` on the retarder in the upwiping operation.

7. In a lasting machine, the combination with wipers movable heightwise of a last to perform an upwipingoperation on the toe end of an upper on the last, of a retarder for clamping the marginal portion ofthe upper outspread on the wipers about the toe end of the last, said lretarder being arranged to engage the toe end of the last exteriorly of thelast bottom to position the shoe when it is presented to the machine, and a support for the retarder mounted for swinging movementl heightwise of the last in the upwiping operation about an axis extending widthwise of the last in a location opposite the bottom of the forepart of the last, the retarder being movably connected to said support to prevent it yfrom being angularlyvdisplaced relatively to the wipers by the swinging of the support.

8. In a lasting machine, the ,combinations/ith Wipers movable heightwise of a` last to perform an upwiping operation on the toe end of an upper on the last, of aretarder for clamping the marginal portion of the upper outspread on the wipers :about they toe end of the last during the upwiping operation, a member located opposite the bottom of the forepart of the last and stationary during the operation of the machine, and a support for said retarder mounted on said member for swinging movement heightwise of the last about an airis located opposite thebottom of the forepart of the last in response to pressure of the upper on` the retarder in the upwiping operation, the retarder being movably connected tosaid support to prevent itfrom being angularly displaced relatively to the wipers by the swinging of the support.

9. In a lasting machine, the combination with Wipers movable heightwise of a last to perform an upwiping operation on the to-e end ofvan upper on the last, of a retarder for clamping the marginal portion of the upper outspread on the wipers,

means for maintaining said retarder initially in position to serve as an abutment opposite the toe-end face of the last for positioning the shoe lengthwise by engagement with the last when it is presented to the machine, the retarder being movable from that position heightwise of the last by the wipers in the upwiping operation, and additional means for moving the retarder farther heightwiseof the last away from the Wipers after the upwipingoperation. v v

10. In a .lasting machine, the combination with wipers movable heightwise of a last to perform an upwiping operation on the toe end of an upper on the last, of a retarder for clamping the marginal portion of the upper outspread on the wipers, controlling mechanism connected to said retarder, spring means arranged to act on said mechanism to maintain the retarder initially in position toengage Athe toe-end face of the last and thereby to position the shoe lengthwise when it ispresented to the machine, said spring means being yieldable to permit movement of the retarderheightwise of the last by the wipers in the upwiping operation, and a cam arranged to act thereafter through said mechanism to move the retarder farther heightwise of the last away from the wipers. u

11. In a lasting machine, the combination with Wipers for performing an upwiping operation on the toe end of an upper on a last and for there'- after wiping the marginal portion of the upper inwardly over an insole on the last, of a retarder for clamping the marginal portion of the upper outspread on the wipers, a holddown arranged to engage the margin of the toe end of the insole to press it on the bottom of the last, and means for moving said retarder and holddown substantially simultaneously heightwise of the last at a predeterminedtime in the lasting operation to withdraw them respectively from the wipers and the insole.

12. In a lasting machine, the combination with wipers for performing an upwiping operation on the toe end of an upper on a last and for thereafter wiping the marginal portion of the upper inwardly over an insole on the last, of a retarder for clamping the marginal portion of the upper outspread on the wipers, a holddown arranged to engage the margin of the toe end of the insole to press it on the bottom of the last, mechanism movable to withdraw said retarder heightwise of the last from the wipers after the upwiping operation, and means substantially into engagement with which a portion of said mechanism is movable in the upwiping operation for also withdrawing the holddown from the insole by said mechanism when the retarder is withdrawn.

13. In a lasting machine, the combination with wipers for wiping the toe-end portion of an upper on a last into lasted position, of a retarder for clamping the marginal portion of the upper outspread on the wipers, a holddown arranged to engage the margin of the toe end of an insole on the last to press it on the bottom of the last, and supports for said retarder and holddown each mounted for swinging movement heightwise of the last about an axis located opposite the bottom of the last.

14. In a. lasting machine, the combination with wipers for wiping the toe-end portion of an upper on a last into lasted position, of a retarder for clamping the marginal portion of the upper outspread on the wipers, a holddown arranged to engage the margin of the toe end of an insole on the last to press it on the bottom of the last, supports for said retarder and holddown each mounted for swinging movement independently of the other heightwise of the last about an axis located opposite the bottom of the last, .and means for thus swinging said -supports to withdraw the retarder and holddown respectively from the wipers and the insole in predetermined time relation to the operation of the wipers.

15. In a lasting machine, the combination with wipers for wiping the toe-end portion of an upper on a last into lasted position, of means arranged to be positioned opposite the bottom of the last for positioning the shoe heightwise relatively to the wipers, a retarder for clamping the marginal portion of the upper outspread on the wipers, a, holddown arranged to engage the margin of the toe end of an insole on the last to press it on the bottom of the last, supports for said retarder and holddown mounted for swinging movements independently of each other heightwise of the last about a common axis on said shoepositioning means, and means for thus swinging said supports to withdraw the retarder and holddown respectively from the wipers and the insole in predetermined time relation to the operation of the wipers.

1G. In a lasting machine, the combination with wipers movable heightwise of a last to perform an upwiping operation on th-e toe end of an upper on the last and movable thereafter to wipe the marginal portion of the upper inwardly over an insole on the last, of a retarder for clamping the marginal portion of the upper outspread on the wipers, a holddown arranged to engage the margin of the toe end of the insole to press it on the bottom of the last, the retarder being movable relatively to the holddown heightwise of the last by the wipers in the upwiping operation, and means for thereafter withdrawing the retarder and the holddown substantially simultaneously heightwise of the last from the wipers and the insole respectively.

17. In a lasting machine, the combination with wipers movable heightwise of a last to perform an upwiping operation on the toe end of an upper on thelast and movable thereafter to wipe the marginal portion of the upper inwardly over an insole on the last, of a retarder for clamping the marginal portion of the upper outspread on the wipers, a holddown arranged to engage the margin of the toe end of the insole to press it on the bottom of the last, the retarder being movable relatively to the holddown heightwise of the last by the wipers in the upwiping operation, mechanism for thereafter moving the retarder farther heightwise of the last away from the wipers, and means substantially into engagement with which a portion of sai-d mechanism is carried by the movement of the retarder in the -upwiping operation for also withdrawing said holddown from the insole by said mechanism when the retarder is withdrawn from the wipers.

LLOYD G. MILLER.

REFERENCE S CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 938,513 Pym Nov. 2, 1909 2,380,407 Burby et al July 31, 1945 

